While the government has been taking steps to address the issue after horrific incidents and widespread protests, sexual crimes apparently continue to occur. But a Singapore startup is hoping to help women feel safer, as well as ensure they have help if they need it.

Smartfuture's Ivy is a $75 (AU$100, £60) necklace that's linked to a smartphone, and can be tapped to summon help from guardians or make a phone call. Audio is also recorded as needed. In India, the company is working with NGOs as well as police in cities like Mumbai to serve as guardians.

The necklace comes in various colors, and was designed to appeal to Indian tastes. It can also be worn as a bracelet. It has a battery life of six months, and uses replaceble batteries.

Besides the Ivy, Smartfuture is also working on getting health care to the poor in India, tapping on chemists and pharmacies in Indian cities to let the underprivileged do a blood pressure checkup for cheap. Data will be stored on government servers using Smartfuture's API. If discrepancies are detected, the patient will be alerted immediately so they can get a checkup done.